


still a better love story

by caboodles (orphan_account)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: AH OT6, M/M, Other, mostly fluffy, quick build, rt hybrid AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-17
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-25 10:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1644929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/caboodles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And so the lion fell in love with the lamb. And, somewhere along the way, the cow, and the rabbit, and the bird, and the cat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue (Exposition)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. I haven't posted in a while, but my AP exam was kicking my butt and I'm finally done with it so I'm basically free until late July! Woo!
> 
> So this is a story I'd written a while back that I'm typing and reediting. It is a little rushed, which I apologize for, but I'm still learning how to write stories longer than 1000 words. It is RT Hybrid, my favorite AU :)
> 
> The next chapters will be posted over this week (hopefully)!

Somehow, it'd happened. Somehow, the six of them were able to coexist in the office, ignoring instinct in favor of the knowledge that, despite their natural fears, they could all work together with no problems. Sure, there was the occasional mishap or argument, often leaving Michael or Gavin angrily ruffled, Ray with his ears quivering, tails twitching, teeth and claws and horns bared. But, somehow, they all ended up sliding past the friction and tension, and they returned to easy jokes and light, pleasant banter.

As the months passed, the six men grew to be great friends, bonding over experiences in the company as well as in the outside world, where they all faced similar discrimination. Being a hybrid was never easy, though times seemed to be changing as the hybrid population was growing and pushing for a change. Geoff and Burnie, their bosses, were majorly involved in the movement, and the men and women of Rooster Teeth were largely supportive, hybrid or not. The Achievement Hunters worked hard with the rest of the Rooster Teeth staff to be one of the best and fairest environments for hybrids in Austin- not to mention in the States. There was no argument that yes, they definitely were.

Besides, they were known for having a lot of fun.

  


-

  


Geoff and Jack (hybrid ram and lion, respectively) first had the idea for a gaming channel on the side of Red vs Blue and the RT Shorts. They co-pitched it to Burnie and Gus, and within a month were scouting out the Internet for recruits. After weeks of interviews and testing, Jack and Geoff had whittled their choices away to s group of four: the two of them; a Brit named Gavin, who'd initially come to the States to work on RvB but ended up staying to work full-time; and a fiery redhead named Michael, whose legendary gameplay raging amounted to hilarious content.

The first problem came in getting all four of them into the office at once. With Gavin, it was a little cramped for his wings, which had to be folded at all times. With Jack, the floorspace was too small and his tail was often stepped on. With Geoff, there was difficulty in wearing the headphones necessary for private work or holding microphones as they inevitably got tangled in his horns with all the twisting and turning of office shenanigans and filming. However, the three of them fell into a routine eventually.

Michael came in for his first day nearly a month later, and the moment he walked in the door, all hell broke loose.

Sensing Michael's presence, Gavin smiled and turned to meet his new coworker at the door, but the sight of Michael's ears and twitching tail immediately sent Gavin into a frenzy of feathers and squawks. His wings strained at the neck of his shirt, instinct driving flight. He dove behind Geoff and shivered like a leaf, much to the older hybrid's amusement.

“C'mon, Gavin, cut it out,” Geoff stepped aside. “This is Michael. Michael, Gavin,” he added to the cat hybrid in the doorway. “Michael, you can take this desk,” he said, gesturing to the seat directly to Gavin's left.

“What?” the Brit spluttered, turning on his heel to face Geoff.

“Cool it, Gav,” Geoff rolled his eyes. “Michael's not gonna do anything to you,” he muttered to the anxious lad. “Come on in, Michael.”

Michael took his seat, and Gavin took his own, trying hard not to get up and run from the office. The struggle became more and more physical as he began to tremble again, and his feathers stood at attention, peaked over the tips of his shoulders beneath his shirt. He couldn't help but keep checking to make sure Michael wasn't watching as the cat set up his computer. With a start, he realized the man was looking right at him. Before he could say anything, however, he noticed that Michael was... smiling?

“Chill out, dude, I'm not gonna hurt you,” Michael laughed. Gavin took an immediate liking to that voice, that laugh, and relaxed (visibly, which only made Michael laugh even harder- not that Gavin minded).

“Sorry,” Gavin finally said as the trance broke, looking down sheepishly. “Instincts, I suppose, and all that.”

“It's cool. I get the same way around dogs,” Michael confided. Gavin's head shot back up to look him in the eyes.

“Really?” He chuckled, in a way that could only be described as bubbly.

“Yeah. It's sort of ironic since my best friend Lindsey had some dog in her. She loved cats, though, and always complained I'd gotten the better animal out of the two of us. I probably would have traded her, though. Dogs are a lot tougher looking, don't you think?”

“You're asking a bird that?”

“... Oh, right,” Michael laughed again.

From his seat, Geoff looked over and smiled. This was going more smoothly than he could have hoped. Michael and Gavin hit it off into natural banter, Gavin loving to argue with the redhead and Michael loving to yell his point back. Michael had also been respectful, but quick to joke with the two older men during his interview. His calmness when unprovoked was an excellent parallel to Gavin's cheeky attitude and antsy nature.

_This,_ Geoff thought as he took a sip of his drink,  _will work out just fine._

  


_-_

  


Soon, four became six, as Michael's friend, Ray, moved down from New York, and as one of the behind-the-scenes guys, Ryan, agreed to join as a fully-fledged member of their team. Both of them had styles of humor well suited to the Achievement Hunter group, though Ryan's could be a bit more dark than the Puerto Rican's. Ray took the fifth desk; Ryan, the couch. Ray was sarcastic, but a natural at any game he was given, and his gamer score rocketed above that of the other five men. Ryan's status as tech-and-PC expert made him a good juxtaposition to the console-oriented team. It also opened the door to new game types, met with high favor in the growing fan base.

Sure, the office was a little (a lot) more cramped with six men in it, but they never minded. The office became a hub for their day, and none of them could imagine working anywhere else- except Ryan's “main” desk in the warehouse, but he wasn't able to film from there anyways.

Geoff and Jack's tiny idea had exploded into a huge sensation on the Internet, thanks to the help of their four fantastic coworkers and their hard work. Everyone brought out the best qualities of one another's character during the recordings. It was a machine, unable to function perfectly without all of its parts.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, comments and suggestions are welcome! Thanks for reading <3


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moves are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow, the attention this has gotten is unprecedented! But welcome :)

As it turned out, Jack had fallen for each of the men in the office. And of course he had noticed the way Geoff's gaze lingered on each of them- including himself. The weeks wore on, and the pattern continued, and neither Geoff nor Jack had acted on anything.

But two months or so after Jack had noticed Geoff, Geoff consciously noticed him back. They were in the office. Jack had been passing his spare controller, and when their fingers had brushed during the exchange, they both felt- cliché as it was- the spark of electricity tingle on their skin. Both had snapped to attention, eyes shooting to lock gazes. After a tense moment, Jack had let out a breathy laugh, and Geoff had murmured:

“Holy shit.”

And before they knew it, some sort of animalistic instinct took over; Geoff's lips were on Jack's, hands tangling in his hair and mustache tickling the lion's nose. Jack felt his heart race against his shirt, and his tail curled up from the ground. His ears twitched, pleased, as Geoff's fingers brushed behind them. Jack's hands came to rest on Geoff's shoulders. The ram hybrid gasped into the kiss as Jack's claws lightly pressured his skin, but not painfully so.

When they broke apart, Geoff's eyes shifted from pleasantly surprised, half-lidded, to wide in shock. Jack's brow furrowed in confusion, but before he could inquire as to why Geoff was staring like that, he realized the man's eyes weren't on him. And, when Jack turned to follow his gaze, his own gaze met Ryan's eyes. Eyes that were glancing back and forth, seeming surprised… but not disgusted.

“R-Ryan, it's-”

“Not what it looks like?” The bull hybrid finished for his boss, leaning against the door frame. “Because it looks an awful lot like you two were kissing just now,” he said, crossing his arms.

“Well, yeah... I guess it was what it looked like,” Geoff said dumbly. Jack just stared at his feet, cheeks burning red.

A moment passed.

“... This might be overstepping boundaries,” Ryan said slowly, carefully. “And it might sound crazy... But do you think, possibly,you two might have room for... one more?”

Then it was the other two's turn to stare stupidly at Ryan, whose ears twitched under dual scrutiny. He flushed a little, lack of cool completely out of character.

But Geoff had stood up, eyes locked with Ryan's and face an unreadable blank slate. He crossed the distance to stand before Ryan, chests mere inches apart. Geoff's eyes searched for any sign of reluctance or discomfort, and, finding none, he leaned in slowly to press his lips to Ryan's. Languid and relaxed, it lasted long enough for Jack to impatiently growl and pull Ryan away for himself. As Geoff watched them kiss, more passionately, he couldn't help but think this was the best ides they'd had in months. And listening to Ryan moan gently into Jack's mouth? Fuck, that was hot.

After their impromptu encounter (which was really more of a make-out session than anything, who were they kidding?), Ryan collapsed onto the couch, Geoff and Jack resting on either side of him. They curled into the warmth of his arms.

“... So,” Jack finally began, softly. “I guess this means...”

“Boyfriends?” Geoff supplied. Ryan chuckled.

“I like the sound of that.” The other two nodded in agreement, not a word to break the silence for a good few minutes more.

“... Although,” Geoff mused, more to himself than anyone. “There are a few others I wouldn't mind being boyfriends with.”  
“Like who?” Jack asked, already hoping he knew the answer (because he couldn't even begin to say how much he wanted that, too).

“... The Lads,” Geoff admitted quietly. For a moment he was afraid of what they would say.

“Fuck,” Jack sighed. “Me too.”

Ryan chuckled then. “I'd be on board with that, actually. If they'll have us.”

“Yeah, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't,” their boss mumbled miserably. Ryan shifted behind him.

“Have you tried asking?”

 

-

 

They planned to ask Ray first, being the most respectful (surprisingly) of the Lads when they spoke to him about serious matters.

“Ray, could you come in here for a minute?” Geoff called. Ray turned around obediently and reentered the office, calling behind him for Michael and Gavin to go on to lunch without him.

“Hey,” Ray cleared his throat under the stares of the three men. He crossed awkwardly past to sit in his seat.

“Ray, we wanted to talk to you about something important,” Jack began.

“Seriously,” Geoff added, seeing the joke about deportation forming on Ray's lips. Ray nodded and swallowed it. Geoff, biting his lip, looked Ray straight in the eyes. “Ryan, Jack, and I are in a relationship. Together.”  
If the three of them hadn't been looking at him so sincerely, Ray would have burst out laughing. Instead he swallowed again and managed a muted, “Congratulations,” before staring awkwardly at his hands in his lap. “So... Is that all?”

“Well,” Ryan finally spoke up. “We were... We were sort of wondering if you and the other two lads might... Be a part of it.”

Ray fought back the blush threatening to rise to his cheeks. His ears twitched under stares, almost absentmindedly.

“I... Fuck, you're putting me on the spot,” he sighed, running a nervous hand through his hair. “But… I'd be... Yeah, I'd be game,” he stammered out, biting his lip. “The whole relationship thing, I mean.”

Geoff cheered, and Jack relaxed back into his chair, claws retracting from their positions buried in the armrests. Ryan scooted forward with Michael's seat to press a kiss to Ray's nose. The bull hybrid's arms wound around Ray's shoulders, and he smiled at him happily. Ray was flushed, but his lips twitched up to mirror the expression. His eyes fluttered shut as Ryan kissed him (finally, a voice in the back of his mind said, satisfied), followed by Jack, and then Geoff.

One step closer to perfection.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! (Even if it seemed a little rushed, it did to me)  
> As always, please leave any comments or criticism! See you next time <3


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game night at Geoff's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split this part into more than one, so as I rewrite it I'll see how many it becomes.  
> It's a little shorter than the previous chapters. I'll try to make it up to you all!

After weeks of planning, the Gents and Ray were convinced it was time to pull Michael and Gavin into their relationship, but they were not sure how. Two failed attempts at a lunch date of sorts later, they decided to broach the topic at Geoff's weekly pizza and game night.

 

-

 

Michael and Gavin waited patiently (well, Gavin was never patient) someone to open the door. It was game night at Geoff's, and Michael had grabbed Gavin to help him get the pizzas.

The door swung open, and Geoff ushered them in. Jack, Ryan, and Ray were in the living room. Michael raised a hand and began to greet them, but stopped short when he saw where Ray was sitting- curled into a ball in Ryan's lap, the older hybrid's fingers carding gently through his hair and around his ears, which twitched as they picked up on Michael's and Gavin's footsteps.

“Hey, guys,” Jack called, not bothering to look up from his laptop.

When they did not answer, Ray turned to look at them, peering over Ryan's arms. “Well, don't just stand there! The pizza's getting cold,” he chided. Silently, the cat and the bird shuffled to place the boxes on the coffee table before taking wary seats on the second couch. Ray eagerly grabbed two slices, taking a bite from one and holding the other piece to Ryan's lips. Michael and Gavin watched in silent confusion, but before anyone spoke, Geoff returned, taking a seat on the arm of Jack's chair and handing him a bottle of beer. Jack took it gratefully and leaned up to meet Geoff in a quick peck. At this, Michael made a tiny, choked noise from the back of his throat, causing Geoff's ears to jerk towards him.

Finally, Gavin spoke. “Geoff, what the _hell_ was that?” The feathers poking above his shirt collar were quivering, and his fists were clenched. Geoff and Jack shared a glance, but resolve still hardened their faces. Geoff was straightening up in his perch. Jack had closed his laptop, setting it on the footrest in front of him. Ray rolled over carefully, avoiding hurting the Gent beneath him with his flailing limbs. Ryan himself was slowing his stokes through Ray's hair, jaw steeling.

“Gavin, Michael, we need to talk.”  
“I should say we do-”

“About all this,” Ray piped up, continuing where Geoff left off as if he hadn't heard Gavin. He sat up on Ryan's lap, and Ryan's hands removed themselves from Ray's hair in favor of clasping, arms around his waist.

“The Gents have all sort of been a thing for a while,” Ryan murmured, “And, a few weeks ago, we asked Ray if maybe he wanted to join.” He punctuated his sentence with a kiss to the rabbit hybrid's cheek, making the younger blush. “And, he said yes, obviously.”

“But we weren't just interested in Ray,” Jack admitted, causing Michael's ears to perk up- much to Michael's chagrin and the fours' secret amusement- alert, as something about Jack's words set him on edge.

“Well, that's all fan-fucking-tastic, congratulations on all that, and for whoever else you'll be wooing or whatever,” Michael coughed, masking his awkwardness and unsureness of what to say (or maybe it was disappointment?) with a layer of anger. He grabbed Gavin's arm, ignoring the tiny arm feathers tensing around his hand. Michael tugged them both up and dragged the bird behind him to the door. But before he could get it open, Geoff was grasping his shoulder.

“Good to hear you're alright with it. So what do you say?” Geoff squeezed his shoulder minutely. Michael's muscles tensed beneath his fingers.

“I...” Michael breathed out in shock, but he stubbornly refused to turn around to face the other men. Gavin's face flashed in a quick burst of a pained expression; Michael was gripping his wrist tightly, white-knuckled. Jack was quickly there, coaxing his hand from Gavin's, and the bird was immediately clutching his wrist, rubbing it in silent thought. His brow was furrowed, and he was staring at his shoes. A moment trickled by.

“Yeah.”

Everyone's eyes (and ears) shot towards Gavin. He was searching their faces carefully, wings stretching involuntarily in the all-too-familiar flight reaction, in case he needed to get out of there fast- because, he was thinking, maybe all of this was some crazy joke getting out of hand?

But Ray was there then, in front of him, and Ryan, and Jack, and Geoff. And then each of them was pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. He grinned happily, dazed eyes darting to each of their faces- Ray, warm and fond; Ryan, softly smiling back; Jack, chuckling and blushing beneath his beard; Geoff, sleepy eyes mirroring the smile on his face. Finally he turned to face Michael.

Caught up in the moment, none of them had seen or heard the cat hybrid leave.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! The next chapter might be the last! :')  
> As always, please comment or critique!


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael makes a hard decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow, guys, it's over already??? And at 1.5K views at the time of posting this chapter??? I'm sorry for the wait... I had to scrap the original ending. It wasn't good enough, hopefully you enjoy this!

Michael slammed his car door shut. It was all too much; his head was reeling. He knew he shouldn't have stormed out without saying anything,but he was afraid if he'd tried to speak he would have said the wrong thing entirely. He absentmindedly chewed a fingernail and tried to steady his heart rate. After all, assuming this wasn't some cruel prank gone too far, there were five men in his office that wanted to be in a relationship with him.

And, he thought to himself, the funny thing was that he sort of wanted to be in a relationship with them, too. He just had to figure out what to do next. His head whirled and ached. This was going to be hard.

 

-

 

Ten minutes passed with no word from Michael. All five hybrids had sent at least one text to him, asking him where he'd gone, if he was okay. There was no reply.

Geoff stood at last. “I think this has gone on long enough. He's either in or he's not, he just needs to tell us what he wants.”

“I think he's made his thoughts clear,” Ray mumbled miserably from Ryan's lap. Gavin's fingers tentatively laced with his.

“If there's one thing we know about Michael, it's that he isn't always good at expressing his feelings. We just need to give him time,” Jack wisely said.

 

-

 

Time, time, Michael was running out of time. He couldn't ignore the messages much longer. The lights blinked erratically on his phone screen, and he felt the urge to throw it out the window and speed off. Instead, he placed his left hand on the wheel of the car, his right hand on the keys in the ignition, but he did not turn them.

 

-

 

Within the next fifteen minutes, Geoff grew more visibly angry, sleepy eyes hardened in frustration. Ryan was still calm on the outside, but as he ran his fingers through Ray's hair, the rabbit could feel the tenseness in his muscles in the way he would tug a little harder than necessary. Ray let out a whimper and he stopped, breath hitching. “Sorry,” he whispered, realizing what he had done. He pressed a kiss to Ray's ear and the rabbit snuggled closer. He was shivering like a leaf in Ryan's arms.

Gavin and Jack were both staring at their phones, as if it would cause Michael to reply faster. Or at all.

Geoff began to pace then, keys jingling in his hand as each lap brought him closer to the garage door. He finally threw it open, clearing his throat towards the group of men behind him. They were all up behind him, piling into the van. Geoff hit the control for the garage door once everyone was buckled up, Jack in the passenger's seat and Ryan with the Lads in the back row. The door couldn't raise fast enough; Geoff tapped his left foot impatiently, grip white-knuckled on the steering wheel. He threw it into reverse as soon as the door was of a clearable height, and he swung out into the street.

Geoff only made it twenty feet before Gavin's squawk processed. “That's Michael's car parked out there! Geoff, go back!”

True to Gavin's word, Michael was parked in front of the house. His car was off, as were his lights. None of them could see in through the windows; it was dark, but not too much for them to make out Michael's silhouette. Geoff was slamming on the brakes, abandoning his van in favor of racing to the parked car. Jack was right behind, the other three struggling out the sliding doors. He reached the driver's door first, restraining himself from yanking the door open, instead quickly composing himself and tapping the window lightly.

Michael turned to face him with a jolt of surprise. His shoulders tensed as he recognized Geoff's shape through the window. It was a moment before the glass slid down. Michael was focused on his legs when it clicked all the way down.

“Michael,” Gavin spoke softly.

The cat didn't move.

“Michael,” Geoff sighed, though it came out in more of a warning tone than he'd intended it to have, but it got Michael to look up.

“Listen,” Jack said, crossing his arms in a rare display of frustration. “We just wanted an answer. That means a 'no' would have been acceptable, but not leaving us in the dark about everything.” His tail whipped back and forth behind him, low to the ground. “We can pretend all this never happened, act like nothing is different; we can hide it at work and during game nights. We just don't want you to feel uncomfortable around us for our relationship. We understand you don't feel the same way-”

Michael mumbled.

“Pardon?”

“Bullshit,” Michael echoed a little louder. “Of course I feel the same way about you all,” he admitted, cheeks aflame. “I just... It was overwhelming, having four guys- five,” he corrected, glancing at Gavin, “all confessing at once. I just didn't know what to do.”  
“So you ran off?” Ray piped up. He didn't sound angry, just confused.

“I... I couldn't help it,” he whispered. It was new and unfamiliar for the five to hear him so defeated, so quiet. “My feet were moving before I could stop them...” Instincts. They all knew how that felt.

Jack reached out a hand and tugged the door open. Ryan took Michael's hand as a gentle reassurance when the cat stood. Ray was on his left, acted as a silent anchor. As the Gents and Ray took their positions around him, Gavin stood before him. He seemed deep in thought, scouring Michael's face for clues as to what the cat was thinking. Michael's ears twitched, and he shifted warily under the bird's gaze; Gavin's eyes followed him.

Finally, his lips parted, and he uttered something that sounded suspiciously like an explicative- the kind he always had JJ bleep out- before he grabbed Michael's Achievement Hunter merch tee-shirt and tugged him towards the bird hybrid. Lips met softly, cautiously, and as Michael reciprocated, he mewled a little- Gavin's tongue swiped across his bottom lip, sending shivers all the way to the tip of his tail. As they pulled apart, they could hear Ray whining about not getting to kiss Michael first. Jack and Ryan laughed at the pouting rabbit. They pulled him between them, Jack nuzzling his ears and Ryan nipping at his jawline playfully (Ray immediately stopped whining); Geoff shook his head and glanced at Michael.

“So?” He urged.

“... I'm in,” Michael nodded slowly. The street rumbled with the sound of five hybrids cheering at once, and then with the noise of yelling about the wings bumping into everyone.

 

-

 

Six hybrids lay curled together in one bed. In the middle, a lion and a ram were entwined. To their sides lay the bull, cradling the rabbit, and the bird and the cat, a messy tangle of heat and appendages.

And everything was perfect.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Thank you for sticking with my little story :)  
> I'm proud, this is the most chapters of a story I've ever posted! Hopefully it was worth it, and maybe if enough people want it I could write a sequel based on your suggestions! You can also contact me at my tumblr (dude-touch-my-cape)  
> Until next time! <3


End file.
